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Thursday, August 18, 2005

Delicius chanterelle risotto

I found a recipe at Seriously Good that sounded so good, I just had to try it. It was this one, for Tuscan Chicken. I followed it fairly well, except I didn't marinate my chicken beforehand, and I added some sugar and honey to the sauce. (Because when I tasted it at first, all I got was olive oil and sour lemon.) Excellent, and I'll definitely save that, but the real star was my chanterelle risotto. Oh my goodness.

So, it's fungus time. Chanterelles are abundant in the Swedish woods, although I suck at picking mushrooms and usually opt for a trip to the grocery store instead. This time, too. I used a mix of large golden chanterelles, and little brown umm.. funnel chanterelles? I have no idea what they're called in English. Anyway, these dry well, so I used a bunch of dried ones that I had stored from last year. You could use other dried mushrooms instead, of course. The finished risotto was really excellent. I can't wait to make it again. And indeed, I won't wait. We're having it again tonight, but to accompany lamb burgers with sage and garlic. Yum!

Revive the dried chanterelles in hot water. Let them sit while you make the rest of the risotto. Fry the golden chanterelles in a pat of butter until some of the moisture is evaporated. Set aside. Start the actual risotto by melting the butter and the oil, and frying the onion and garlic in this. Bring the stock to a boil. Add the rice to the onion, and let fry for a couple of minutes, until lightly browned. Add the wine, and stir while it all evaporates.

Then proceed as usual, adding the stock one ladle at a time. Stir more or less constantly, and let the stock slowly melt into the rice. As soon as it looks dry, add more stock. Keep tasting - it'll take about 20 minutes. You might not use all the stock, and you might need more (just use hot water). It's impossible to tell in a recipe, really.

When it's pretty much done, drain the revived dried chanterelles (toss away the water - it'll be bitter) and add them to the risotto. Add the golden chanterelles too. Finally, stir in the parmesan, and if needed add salt, pepper, honey or lemon juice if you want it more salty, peppery, sweet or sour. All up to you!

7 comments:

Oh, oh, oh! I am sooooo envious. That dinner looks incredible (I'd actually been eyeing that chicken at Seriously Good), and then you went and mentioned one of my Top Ten Favorite Foods---chanterelles! Yum, yum, YUM! I think I'm moving to Sweden! : )

Thought I should report on the risotto... after cleaning and chopping I ended up with four cups chanterelle. I doubled your recipe. Had no dried funnels, but I threw in a few sauteed boletes I found growing among them, and I ganished the dish with a handful of sauteed trumpets. Too rushed to go to the store, I used whatever shallots I had on hand instead of onion and garlic. Also, FORGOT to throw in the CHEESE and for a cheesaholic like myself, that's almost a mortal sin. The funny thing is, the dish was SO DELISH that I didn't even notice, and neither did anyone else. It was a huge hit. Brought the leftovers home, and one of my sister's guests was later found foraging in her fridge for them.

I hear mushroom hunting is quite popular in Sweden. Not so here. Don't know if chanterelles are quite as prolific here, but they are probably easier to find since most americans probably don't even recognize them in the grocery store. I found these directly in and around the path I was hiking at a local state park. There's no way they could be overlooked by a passerby, but lucky for me, no one knows any better.

chantrels grow in the n.w. part of washington state as early as july, rains permitting. Sultry days make for the new sprouts to emerge. Cutting of some of the new sprouts makes for some good eating. Happy hunting.